by Servant Mind

Created on: June 05, 2008

I'm not against smoking. I think it can be a healthy pleasure. What I am against is cigarettes that contain chemicals! Have you ever looked up the ingredient lists of America's favorite cigarettes? Reading the list alone will kill you! Some of the most notable ingredients are Urea (a waste produced when the body metabolizes protein), Benz-aldehyde, Yeast (which is a fungus), Benzoin Resin, Butyl Acetate, Citronella Oil, and the list goes on and on! Some of these ingredients and additives, when burned, create toxic, harmful chemical compounds. Over 40 known carcinogens are present in cigarette smoke. That's why it's such a hot topic these days.

Our forefathers didn't smoke these strange things! They smoked pure tobacco, as do I. The smoke of a pure tobacco cigarette is non-toxic, and makes life pleasant for all concerned. But, the tobacco companies don't want to keep the high standards of yesteryear, when they can make more profits from selling junk. And that's exactly what they're doing.

If anything, we should ban the use of ANY chemicals in the manufacturing of cigarettes, and go back to a cleaner, less hostile environment. I envision a place where the smoker is not addicted to the tobacco product, but rather gets to enjoy the flavor and aroma of some of the world's finest blends; a place where people aren't up in arms over second-hand smoke, because they no longer notice it (pure tobacco products produce far less smoke); a place where chemicals aren't allowed to be consumed, and diseases are thwarted as a result. That's where I want to live. Anyone with me?

There are plenty of good choices on the market, if you're willing to shell out a little more dough. But, once you switch to pure tobacco products, you'll smoke far less because the addiction-causing chemicals are gone. Nat Sherman produces the finest cigarettes in the world (in my humble opinion). But again, there are several others to choose from.

What about those of us who think smoking is a disgusting habit. Well, most of the stigma attached to smoking arises from the toxic nature of today's chemically-laden cigarettes. They ARE nasty! Still others have genuinely valid arguments, it's true. For those people, I say, "Speak your thoughts and concerns." Let your legislature know you're out there. It's important to consider all sides of the argument.

Ultimately, places where people gather, such as restraunts, and sidewalk cafes should be kept free of annoying smoke. Love the smoker, hate the smoke. But in the end, it truly is a right of ours to smoke. It should be against the law to produce cigarettes with additives and chemicals (which harm us) and, it should forever be legal to smoke in one's home. But, the debate rages on. For my part, I will continue to shed light on the truths of the issue, in hopes that someday we may make a better way for all.

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